The Nenagh Éire Óg junior Bs suffered a defeat in their opening game of the league at MacDonagh Park on Saturday evening. However, despite losing by four points this was a spirited display which the lads can build on.
Watch Centre North Tipperary
Junior B Hurling League
Nenagh Éire Óg 0-9 Portroe 0-13
Portroe, whilst playing with the aid of a very strong wind, raced into a 0-5 to no-score lead inside the opening eight minutes.
The Blues were fighting hard for every break of the ball and got off the mark in the eighth minute when Gavin O’Connor landed a point following great work from Christopher Ryan and Jack Sheedy.
Portroe led 0-6 to 0-1 in the 17th minute when Niall Madden’s smartly-taken free found Paul Lillis and the centre-forward fired over Éire Óg’s second point.
Four more first half points from Portroe helped the visitors into a 0-10 to 0-2 interval lead. Considering the strength of the wind, however, the Éire Óg lads were still in with a shout of turning this one around.
The Blues started the second half in very positive fashion. In the 32nd minute Brian Tuite was fouled for a free which Paul Lillis converted before Kieran Duffy landed a free from deep inside his own half following a foul on wing-back Lenny Ryan.
A Portroe point in the 38th minute helped the visitors into a 0-11 to 0-4 lead, but further Éire Óg points, which arrived courtesy of Gavin O’Connor and Lenny Ryan, cut the deficit to five with twenty-one minutes to play (0-6 to 0-11).
In the 45th minute Gavin O’Connor set up Christopher Ryan for a goal chance. Before Ryan could strike he was fouled for a penalty. The unceremonious nature of that challenge was deemed a sending off offence by referee Martin Griffin. Niall Madden took responsibility for the penalty, but saw his effort saved by the Portroe ‘keeper.
To be fair to Portroe, and despite now playing with fourteen men, they battled well and won two frees which were converted to hand the visitors a 0-13 to 0-6 lead with ten minutes to play.
Éire Óg poured forward in search of scores and although the Blues landed late points thanks to the efforts of Brian Tuite (two) and Paul Lillis (free) Nenagh failed to create a goal-scoring opportunity which may have rescued the situation.
The Watch Centre North Tipperary Junior B Hurling League will be played on a two-group system this year with the top two teams in each progressing to the semi-finals.
Nenagh Éire Óg have been drawn in group one alongside Toomevara, Newport, Shannon Rovers, Moneygall & Portroe. Meanwhile group two features Borrisokane, Ballina, Borris-Ileigh, Lorrha-Dorrha & Kildangan.
The Nenagh Éire Óg team are managed this year by Cian Tucker, Mark Long, Paddy Flynn and John Paul King.
Nenagh Éire Óg: Brian Darcy, John Kelly, Ger O’Gorman, Brian Duffy, Aodhán Geaney, Kieran Duffy (0-1, 0-1 frees), Lenny Ryan (0-1), Niall Madden, Alex Jones, Gavin O’Connor (0-2), Paul Lillis (captain, 0-3, 0-2 frees), TJ O’Brien, Christopher Ryan, Jack Sheedy, Brian Tuite (0-2). Subs: (49th) Michael Hallinan for Jack Sheedy.
Referee: Martin Griffin (Silvermines).
CLUB LOTTO
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Please consider supporting the Blues by playing our club lotto online: click here!
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